Thailand Travel Advice
Thailand Travel Advice
Thailand travel advice for how not to be an idiot tourist!
Easy tips pertaining to Thai and Buddhist culture:
The head is the highest and most sacred part on a person. Never pat someone’s head or ruffle their hair. (unless its one of the stray dogs)
The foot is the lowest and dirtiest part of a person, never raise your foot over someone’s head, step over them, or point the bottom of your feet at someone when sitting.
Because of the reason mentioned above, shoes ALWAYS come off before stepping inside. This includes shops, restaurants, bars, and homes. Many resorts and shops have Westernized to cater to tourists, but it is always a nice gesture to remove them anyway. Get in the habit of checking to see if the shop owner is wearing shoes or not then follow suit. Yes it seems like a good way to get foot fungus, but wash your feet regularly like they do and you will be just fine.
The concept of “saving face” is very important in Thailand. Try not to loose your cool or show anger in front of anyone. If someone overcharges you or does you wrong, either deal with it calmly or say “mai pen rai“.
In general, Buddhists are conservative in dress and in contact between the sexes. (this does not apply to girls of a certain profession)
Women should never touch a monk (even an accidental brush). They have to cleanse themselves for days afterward, so don’t be surprised if one is sliding away from you on a busy train. For the same reason, you should always hand something to a man that needs to be passed on to a monk.
For more Thailand travel advice, read about monk and temple etiquette.
Never, ever disrespect the king in any way (this includes damaging money which bears his picture). There is a reason why there are pictures of him everywhere (always young) and people wear gold/yellow (his color). Not only is slamming the king punishable by death (no joke) but the Thai people love him and might throw something at you!
Thai people know that you are a visitor, but just by making little gestures you can show a great deal of respect. Most of this Thailand travel advice can be found in the back of your guidebook.
